4 months ago
The Directors Guild of America and nan Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced a associated media blackout connected Wednesday, arsenic nan 2 sides met for their first time of corporate bargaining.
The DGA negotiators are convening astatine nan AMPTP office successful Sherman Oaks to coming their proposals, which include a hike successful world streaming residuals and an summation successful standard minimums to relationship for inflation.
The talks are opening connected nan ninth time of nan Writers Guild of America strike. Talks pinch nan writers collapsed down connected May 1, aft nan studios rejected WGA demands for a TV unit size minimum, a minimum number of weeks worked and a viewership-based streaming residual, among different issues.
Though communications from some nan WGA and AMPTP were mostly constricted during nan six weeks of WGA talks, nan 2 sides ne'er agreed to a general media blackout.
In erstwhile writers strikes, nan AMPTP has sometimes turned to nan DGA for an agreement, which past helps reside nan writers’ issues and extremity nan activity stoppage. But moreover assuming nan DGA talks spell comparatively smoothly — a large if — it’s still acold from clear that a DGA statement would thief extremity nan existent strike.
A woody connected streaming residuals could thief resoluteness that rumor for nan WGA. But galore of nan writers’ apical issues are not successful nan DGA’s jurisdiction — including TV unit size, a premium for improvement rooms and having writers connected group passim production. The DGA is besides focused connected galore different issues that are not applicable to nan writers’ contract, for illustration turnaround times connected group and group safety.
SAG-AFTRA is group to commencement its negotiations connected June 7. Both nan DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts expire connected June 30.
Fran Drescher, nan president of SAG-AFTRA, drew immoderate backlash connected Monday aft giving an question and reply to Deadline astatine a WGA picket statement successful which she suggested that nan 2 guilds person small successful communal successful position of negotiating issues.
“I don’t think what’s very important to writers — and I’m a writer excessively successful nan WGA – is nan benignant of worldly that we’re going after,” Drescher said. “Although I’m very empathic for their needs to beryllium honored, I consciousness for illustration our speech is going to beryllium very different. And I consciousness very hopeful that possibly we won’t get to this point.”
Those remarks trim against nan wide connection of pan-guild solidarity that nan WGA has promoted since nan onslaught began past week, and drew a speedy antagonistic guidance among galore SAG-AFTRA members, who wish to show a much agreed beforehand against nan AMPTP.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, nan SAG-AFTRA executive director, gave remarks during a sheet successful Denver connected Monday that were a small much on-message, according to The Wrap.
“I deliberation we each understand that things person been moving successful nan incorrect guidance arsenic a consequence of nan technological innovations successful nan industry, and that really has to extremity because we can’t person a captious manufacture if nan group who are responsible for creating each of that contented can’t person a career, can’t salary for their basal surviving expenses,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “It’s not right. And, frankly, actors are facing nan aforesaid problem…. I tin guarantee everyone that we consciousness conscionable arsenic powerfully arsenic nan writers do, making judge that this manufacture supports nan group who really make it work, who bring nan important constituent of productivity that is everything this manufacture is about.”
The WGA besides announced Wednesday that it has raised $1.7 cardinal for nan Entertainment Community Fund to thief workers crossed nan manufacture during nan strike, pinch gifts from large names including J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Adam McKay, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Mike Schur and John Wells.
The WGA besides has $19.8 cardinal successful a abstracted onslaught fund, according to its astir caller financial report, which it tin usage to make loans to members who are suffering economical hardship.
“This is simply a clip for our full manufacture to set together,” Chris Keyser, co-chair of nan WGA negotiating committee, said successful a statement. “Withholding our labour has proven to beryllium nan only measurement we tin unit nan studios to springiness america a woody that allows writers to gain a fair, sustainable surviving astatine our craft. That said, nan WGA is not insensitive to nan toll that this activity stoppage will return connected nan full industry. Our guild’s onslaught money is disposable to thief WGA members, but different workers request assistance too.”
Keyser encouraged members who are capable to to donate to nan Entertainment Community Fund.
